This is such an active and elegant card. It seems to flow and morph. The theme of sacred geometry appears here in the headdress of the female. It demonstrates the golden ratio by echoing the nautilus shell.

She is dark form, passive yin, the moon. He is light spirit, the active male yang, sun, who appears to flow into her arms and is almost indistinct. The alchemical element of fire seems to be the activating force. They seem to be merging as if they are the marriage of matter and spirit.

The angel in the background looks like statues of Mary. There are barely visible figures to her left. Thoughts?

Though this isn't like any other Lovers card I've seen, it hearkens back to the traditional symbolism too. The angelic face above the couple stands in for the cupid or angel on older versions (as well as the clitoris of those sweeping vulva folds). I hadn't seen the shadowy figure in the left corner... it almost looks like it's playing a lute? Is there one on the right, too?

I think there are definitely allusions to the alchemical marriage. We have the red and white. I forget at the moment what these are in alchemy -- sulfur and salt? It's late and I can't remember. And the couple, one black and one white as in the Thoth, which definitely depicts the alchemical marriage. In the Thoth, the bride is white and the groom is dark -- here, the opposite. I wonder why?

What bothers me about this image is that the lovers don't look in love. The expression on their faces is blank and it looks as if they're not involved at all in what they're doing, or with each other. Each of them seems to want to be somewhere else and not in the arms of the beloved.

Snails are bisexual even though they still engage in sexual activity. Maybe to express the union of male and female? The slime left by snails has also be linked to sex, but I can't remember where I read that...

I'm convinced that the snail in the seven of P is a quotation of this painting. Which of course brings in a whole new conversation - the Seven of P as an annunciation ? The falcon as the holy spirit - dove in disguise ? or in antitheses ?

eta. So far, this card, the Hierophant and the Fool put me in mind of Frieda Harris's painting style. Great swirls.

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